TripOutside

In the 90s, mountain bikers were getting kicked off hiking trails. Land managers didn't want them. Hikers didn't want them. And for a while, it looked like mountain biking on public lands might just… not survive. 🚵

So they picked up shovels.

A movement of volunteer trail builders started doing the work nobody asked them to do: designing, digging, and maintaining trails on public lands. Not to get something in return. To prove they belonged.

It worked.

That volunteer-driven effort shifted the conversation entirely. Mountain bikers went from being seen as a problem to being recognized as some of the most dedicated stewards of public trails in the country. Land managers took notice. Policies changed. Funding followed.

Today, trails aren't a fringe outdoor debate—they're economic development. Towns compete to build them. Regions brand themselves around them. The mountain bikers who picked up shovels in the 90s didn't just save their sport. They built the foundation for how we think about trail access today.

We sat down with the team at to hear how it happened, and what it means for the future of trails and public lands.

🎁2026 offer: Find your Western Sprit trip on TripOutside.
🎙 Catch the full episode → link in bio
🔁 Share this if you've ever ridden, hiked, or run a trail that someone else built for free.

You can hear a glacier before you see it. The cracking, the groaning, the crash of calving ice. 🧊

That sound, and the silence that follows, is one of the wildest things you'll ever experience. And in Alaska, you don't have to watch it from a distance.

Here are 6 ways to get up close:
🚂 Spencer Glacier, Anchorage — take a scenic train ride in, paddle to the glacier face, raft 7 miles back out. One day, two adventures. With
🏔 Columbia Glacier, Valdez — kayak among icebergs in Prince William Sound. Day trips and multi-day expeditions. Ages 5+. With
🛶 Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau — canoe across a milky-blue lake, weaving through icebergs, then walk onto the glacier. Just 12 miles from downtown. With
🧊 Root Glacier, McCarthy — strap on crampons and hike the ice, or go full send with guided ice climbing. Inside Wrangell-St. Elias NP. With
🌊 Aialik Bay, Seward — sea kayak to a calving tidewater glacier face. Watch house-sized ice crash into the sea while you're surrounded by wildlife. With
🥾 Exit Glacier, Seward — hike through Kenai Fjords NP to the glacier's edge and read the retreat markers showing how far it's pulled back since the 1800s. The most powerful walk in Alaska. With
⛺ Northwestern Fjord, Seward — seven tidewater glaciers and remote beach camping. The wildest, most jaw-dropping corner of Kenai Fjords. With

📍 Tag your adventure buddy!
🔗 Plan your adventure → link in bio
🌟 Learn more about the adventures above in our blog post → link in bio

Watch this before you snorkel in Alaska. 🤿🌊

Most people don't think about when to go. But with Alaska, timing changes everything.
We got the full breakdown from on the TripOutside podcast, and it's not what you'd expect.

April and May? Coldest water of the snorkeling season. Also, the clearest. Less plankton activity means visibility goes deep and moody in that distinctly Alaskan way. 🧊

Midsummer? Water temps climb to 65°F, daylight is basically endless, and the fish are as active as they get. Visibility drops a little, but the energy underwater is unreal.

Late August and September? The sweet spot. Temps cool back down, clarity returns, and the fish are still putting on a show. 🐟

There's no bad time. Just different kinds of incredible.

👇 Would you take the plunge?

🎧 Catch the full podcast with at the link in our bio
🤿 Experience this for yourself — book a snorkeling tour at the link in our bio

Happy National Ride Your Bike to Work Day! 🚲☀️

We love seeing people swap their commute for two wheels. It's better for your body, better for the planet, and honestly just a better way to start your day.

Cycling to work instead of driving cuts your carbon footprint significantly. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the US, and choosing a bike over a car for even a few trips a week makes a real difference. And the benefits don't stop there.

Regular cycling has been shown to improve cardiovascular health, boost mental health, reduce stress, and increase energy levels throughout the day.

Don't have a bike? TripOutside connects you with local outfitters who offer bike rentals across the country so you can get rolling today, no gear required. 🌿

Drop a 🚲 in the comments if you rode today!

Alaska's marine wildlife doesn't get nearly enough credit.

Wolf eels stretch up to 8 feet long and look like something out of a movie, but they're actually curious around divers, peeking out of rock dens to investigate who's passing by. Sunflower sea stars grow up to 3 feet wide and sprout 24 arms, sprawled across the reef in vivid oranges and purples. Sea lions, river otters, and humpback whales swimming close enough to shore that you feel the water move when they pass.

The coldwater ecosystem here is one of the most biodiverse on the planet.
The best way to experience it? Snorkeling.

👇 Would you get in the water here?
🎧 Catch the full podcast with at the link in our bio
🤿Experience this for yourself! Book a snorkeling tour at the link in our bio.

Most people don't think of Alaska when they picture snorkeling. But maybe they should. 🤿🌊

🪸 Instead of coral, Alaska has rock reefs: massive underwater structures covered in anemones, sea stars, urchins, and kelp forests that tower like underwater skyscrapers.

🐙 The cold, nutrient-rich water means marine life is DENSE. We're talking giant Pacific octopus, Dungeness crab, wolf eels, rockfish, lingcod, and schools of fish so thick they block out the light.

The big difference from tropical snorkeling? You'll swap your swimsuit for a 7mm wetsuit (or even a drysuit), and the visibility is a different kind of beautiful—deep, moody, and green rather than crystal clear blue. Alaska's underwater world is one of the most biodiverse on the planet, and almost no one is talking about it.

👇 Would you take the plunge?

🎧 Catch the full podcast with at the link in our bio

🤿Experience this for yourself! Book a tour at the link in our bio.